Over the past decade, automobile traffic has become an increasingly severe problem in many cities, affecting employees' productivity and quality of life. The amount of traffic congestion that occurs on any particular road to any given time may vary dramatically on each day, due to unpredictable variables including traffic accidents or road construction. If a commuter is unaware of the traffic conditions until he has become delayed in traffic, it is then too late to plan a viable alternative route. Despite attempts to avoid traffic by altering work schedules and experimenting with different routes, most commuters continue to experience intolerable traffic, often on a regular basis.
Although there are several resources that are presently available to provide drivers with traffic information, none is effective for enabling drivers to easily obtain the information in time to avoid unpredictable traffic congestion while en route. For example, traffic reports that are broadcast over local radio stations typically provide driving conditions only at periodic intervals, and only for certain major highways. As another example, computerized, overhead traffic message displays that are located on some major roads or highways are usually not very useful because drivers are not given sufficient advanced notice to divert traffic to alternative routes. While radio traffic reports and programmable signs can provide useful information, these resources cannot be customized to provide information on demand for each individual driver's commute, and therefore have only a limited effect.
Recently, Internet web sites have been created for providing traffic information concerning specific roadways in certain metropolitan areas. The traffic information that is provided on such web sites is retrieved from databases containing traffic information that is periodically updated at regular intervals. Traffic.com, Inc. operates a web site for providing traffic information for several major routes in certain metropolitan areas. The web site provides color-coded maps that illustrate the traffic conditions along several major roadways in metropolitan areas. Using a “keyroute summary,” the web site also indicates, for several major routes, the average speed of traffic and whether there are any traffic advisories on the routes. As another example, a web site operated by The Washington Post, enables a user to select or “click on” one of several roadways on a map of the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area and receive a short written report concerning traffic conditions for the selected roadway.
While web sites may provide accurate traffic conditions from databases of traffic information, many drivers either do not have access to the Internet or otherwise do not wish to access the Internet from their home or office before beginning a commute. In either case, since traffic information changes constantly, the information that one obtains from a web site may no longer be accurate during the time that the user is driving. Although it is possible to access information from a web page while in transit, for example, via in-vehicle computer systems or personal digital assistants, this is difficult and sometimes unsafe to do while driving, and such systems can be quite expensive.
Accordingly, there is a need for systems that enable drivers to easily access traffic information while commuting.